
Kozhikode was the capital of Malabar during the time of Zamorins who where ruling before the British Rule in India. It was trading in spices like black pepper and cardamom with the outside world with the Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians, Chinese from centuries and with the Dutch and Portuguese more than 500 years ago. Portuguese were the first foreigners to find this land, the gateway to Kerala, famous for spices. This city is famous for receiving Vasco da Gama in 1498. He landed on the remote beach of Kappad which is 18 km away from the Calicut City.
The English word calico, a cotton textile, originated from this city's name "Calicut".
Emirates Airlines now flies daily from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Kozhikode
Kozhikode to Chennai
You can also reach Kozhikode from other cities like Kochi (Cochin), Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Chennai, Mangalore, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata by train.
There are four direct trains between Calicut (Kozhikode) and Madras (Chennai), each taking about twelve to eighteen hours for one-way travel.
Kozhikode to Mumbai
There are a handful of direct trains connecting Bombay (Mumbai) with Calicut (Kozhikode) via the picturesque Konkan Railway route. Typically, these trains take about 24 hours to cover around 1200 kilometres between Bombay (Mumbai) and Calicut (Kozhikode).
Other
There are plenty of trains between Calicut (Kozhikode) and Cochin (Kochi) and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Keep in mind that unless you reserve your seats, you may end up traveling in unreserved compartments and it can be a tiring experience because these trains can get very crowded.
There are bus services operating from cities like Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore to Kozhikode.
Kozhikode is well connected to other cities Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore by road. It is actually a pleasure to drive from Bangalore to Calicut through Gundulpet and Sulthan Battery. But be cautioned that the small stretch of jungle you have to pass through may have wild elephants and moving in late hours along in small vehicle is not advised.
April 2008: The Bangalore-Mysore-Gundulpet-Sultan Battery-Kalpetta-Kozhikode route is fantastic. I took this 'alternative' route to travel to Thrissur from Bangalore since I wanted to avoid the Salem-Coimbatore stretch (which I hear is in a very poor state). The entire Bangalore-Kozhikode-Thrissur route is fantastic and I plan to continue to use this route going forward, till the Salem stretch gets better.
Many places of attractions are near by one another so you could walk between them.
Kozhikode has an excellent local bus service system and it is cheap. Your first choice should be travelling by Bus. Be aware that the busses can travel at neck-breaking speeds, but they are fairly safe.
This is cheap way of transport between attractions. Autos in Calicut are the most trust worthy of any in India. They have the best reputation of being truthful and being straight forward in their dealings similar to the ones in Bombay (Mumbai) and Pune.
Local taxis are also available at good rates. Normally, Taxis are not needed unless you plan to go way out of the city. If you want to move around in City, Autos and Buses are good enough. Taxis usually charge a flat charge and do not operate on meter.
There are many rental companies offering cars with drivers or self drive.